France was beset with famine following the Seven Year War (1756-1763).

Native son Antoine Auguste Parmentier, who had been fed the commonly regarded as poisonous “potato root” in a German prison-of-war camp, returned to France to find his countrymen starving.

He set up potato soup kitchens throughout Paris to assist the poor.

Ultimately, Louis XVI recognized his work by saying, “France will thank you some day for having found bread for the poor.” In fact, he is best honored by the pleasure his country take in digesting Potage Parmentier.

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the leek and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have begun to soften and brown slightly, about 8 to 12 minutes (this time will vary greatly depending on the surface area of the bottom of your pot).

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Add the vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Blend soup until smooth, either using an immersion blender, egg beater, or by carefully transferring to a blender in batches.

Add the cream, and season to taste with salt (I start with 1 teaspoon and go from there, tasting go easy, but give it a little flavor) and lemon juice.

Blend again and return to pot to keep warm.

Ladle into bowls, and garnish with a dollop of crème fraiche and a healthy sprinkling of minced parsley or microgreens (opt.).

I recently had a Facebook friend ask if I could come up with some “soft diet” recipes for a friend of hers who is battling cancer. Recipes that actually taste good, were high in calories, and avoided things that warriors need to avoid (grease, excess salt, spiciness, etc.).

I’ve cooked for, and modified, recipes for a number of close friends and cancer warriors over the years and, of course, I’m happy to do so again.

Potage Parmentier (French Potato and Leek Soup)

So, I just wanted to let you know that I’m creating a new “Cancer Warrior Recipes” category (in the right-hand column) and will begin adding 2-3 recipes a week to that folder.

Please note: There will be no “miracle shake to cure cancer” or Amazonian rain-forest concoctions, or any of that crap here. Just healthy, easy to prepare, real-food recipes that avoid the ingredients that typically need to be avoided, and help keep warriors strong.

The first recipe will be up in a few minutes.

The Plan

When I have 40-50 recipes in that folder, I’ll go ahead and combine them into a single PDF “eCookbook”, that folks can download for free, from this page.

If you’re interested in these recipes, or want to know when the finished PDF is ready, please be sure to follow me, by entering your email address in the box, at the top of the right-hand column.

If you have any recipe suggestions that fit this category, any requests for specific recipes, or want modifications of old favorites, I’d love to hear them!

Writing and testing recipes is cheaper than therapy. 😉

Also, if you, or a warrior you care about, has more restrictive needs than the recipes you see here, PLEASE contact me (below)…and I’ll make modifications for them, if I can.